Meet the Man Who Wrote Priya Prakash Varrier’s Viral Song Manikya Malaraya Poovi

PMA Jabbar, is the man who wrote the song which comes under the genre mappilappattu, a popular song form among Muslims in Northern Kerala.

PMA Jabbar, is the man who wrote the song which comes under the genre mappilappattu, a popular song form among Muslims in Northern Kerala.

The Malayalam song Manikya Malaraya Poovi starring Priya Prakash Varrier is an overnight hit which has grabbed 3 million views in just 24 hours after release. But untouched by the fame the track has gained, the lyricist of the song is busy with his work in a grocery shop in Saudi Arabia capital Riyadh.

PMA Jabbar, is the man who wrote the song which comes under the genre mappilappattu, a popular song form among Muslims in Northern Kerala. Jabbar wrote the song in 1978 when he was 20. Jabbar was working as a madrassa teacher back then in Kerala's Thrissur. The song was a hit in its previous version also which was sung by Thalassery K Rafeeq, a familar voice on All India Radio and Doordarshan at that time.

Even though he is busy with his work in Saudi, Jabbar is very excited about the acceptance his song is getting. “I am aware about the release of the song, and the popularity it's getting, I liked the music done by Shaan Rahman and the visualization by Omar Lulu,” Jabbar said in an interview to a local daily.

“I got to know there is some controversy around the song, we don’t have to get bothered about it. Every time a new song or movie comes, people would come with different opinions,” he adds.

Jabbar who belongs to Karappadanna of Thrissur district in Kerala has been working in different gulf countries for the last 20 years. He has written over 100 songs.

The song from upcoming movie Oru Aadaar Love was hit by a controversy after Raza academy raised an objection to the song terming it as an insult to Prophet Muhammad and his wife Hazrat Khadeeja. They have urged makers of the movie to remove it immediately from the movie stating that it would hurt the sentiments of Muslim across the world.

Despite threats from the fringe, director Omar Lulu said they wouldn't withdraw the song.

Meanwhile, this song was very common in marriages across the Malabar region till recently. Mappila songs are usually a mix of Malayalam, Arabi Malayalam, Urdu and Persian languages which was usually recited in cultural events. Mappila songs can usually be seen sang during oppana the traditional dance form among Kerala Muslims.

“The controversy over the viral songs is completely uncalled for. The issue comes for those who can't take the literature in its real sense. If you find the song offensive then you have to say the first form Mapplipattu Muhyudheen Mala also should be banned," says Shafeeq Vazhippara a research scholar in Mappilattu from Aligarh Muslim Univesrity.

"Mappilas of Malabar have always accepted these kind of songs and found no offence in the past two centuries," says Vazhippara.

The Mappila Songs are a folklore Muslim song genre rendered to lyrics in the colloquial Mappila dialect of Malayalam laced with Arabic. It represents a distinct cultural indentity which remains closely linked to the cultural practices of Kerala.